COUNCIL Tax-payers could be asked to shell out up to £4 a head to fund an elected mayor in Crewe and Nantwich.

Borough council chief executive Alan Wenham reports the overall cost of appointing a directly elected leader to be in the region of £350,000.

The figures fuel mounting unrest over the scheme, with critics labelling it an expensive and unnecessary experiment.

Council chiefs were dismayed when the Memorial Action Team (MAT) launched its campaign to force a referendum on the issue, pointing out that a chunk of the costs would have to be recovered from Council Tax.

But supporters claim £4 per person is a small sacrifice to achieve necessary change in the way the borough is run.

MAT spokesman Frank Jones said: 'To introduce real democracy in the borough, that is no price to pay.

'But I would question the figures anyway because there are a lot of what-ifs to take into account.

'What people should also remember is the current mayor costs £160,000 a year, spent on things like the official Bentley, the Mayor's Oscars and twinning with towns in France and Germany.

'If people think that is an efficient use of taxpayers' money, they are living on another planet.'

But the council's Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Gwyn Griffiths feels people should be made fully aware of the possible financial burden before voting.

He said: 'I think it is beginning to become clear just how expensive an elected mayor would be.

'There is a great deal of uncertainty over how much all this could cost because so much will depend on how any mayor would approach running the borough.

'But Mr Wenham's calculations seem reasonable ball-park figures, and with the pressures already on council funds, that would mean either a rise in Council Tax or cuts in services elsewhere.

'I just wonder if that was explained to people when they were asked to sign the referendum petition.'

Mr Wenham's figures are based on a projected £205,000 a year in salaries and running costs for a mayor and mayoral office, on top of the £65,000 already allocated for May's referendum and, should the vote be 'yes', a further £75,000 to run an election.

That is equivalent to a total of £4 for each of the borough's 85,000 registered voters.

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